Fitch’s Shawn Ague claims EOWL championship

Photo

Special to The Vindicator/Nick Mays.Fitch's Sarah Guerrier (right) attempts to escape the grip of Beaver Local's Paul Swartz during their 103-pound consolation final match at the EOWL tournament Saturday. Gerrier lost the match, but finished fourth.

By ERIC HAMILTON

ehamilton@vindy.com

Austintown’s Shawn Ague stormed through a tough bracket to win the 112-pound championship at the EOWL tournament Feb. 7 at Fitch High. Ague, a returning state-placer led a contingent of four Falcons who placed in the top four.

Teammate Andy Koch finished second at 189 pounds, Sarah Guerrier finished fourth at 103 pounds and R.J. Balog did the same in the 160-pound bracket.

Fitch (108) finished eighth overall and fifth in Division I.

In the team race, Boardman placed seven wrestlers in the top four of their respective weight classes, including three individual championships and a runner-up spot. That was enough for a third-place overall finish with 167 team points and second in the Division I team standings.

“Mainly our kids wrestled hard and that is what you want out of your team this late in the year,” said Boardman coach Dom Mancini. “Now it’s all about getting the kids ready for sectionals.”

Beaver Local (217) won both the overall and Division I team titles, while West Branch (212) was a close second overall and claimed the Division II team championship. Jackson-Milton won the Division III title and Pymatuning Valley was the winner in Division IV.

Boardman’s individual weight class champions were Nick Mancini (103 pounds), Jerry Pasquale (119) and John Dillon (125). Nico Graziani was runner-up at 140 pounds.

“Nick wrestled an outstanding tournament with three pins on his way to his first championship,” said Mancini, of his son. “He came in hungry to be a champion and is only the second freshman in many years to win the EOWL championship for Boardman as a freshman.

“Jerry [Pasquale] has been dominating all season and proved why he is the best senior wrestler in the area, beating two returning state placers on his way to his title.

“Many people didn’t know what to expect from John [Dillon] going into this weekend since he just moved up recently to 125 pounds. All he did was beat Arizona Miller from Beaver Local 6-1 for the title. Miller was going for his fourth EOWL title.”

Other Spartan placers included Ricky Zupko (130), Geno Kardic (152) and Tim Taumopeau (285).

Canfield (151) finished fourth in the team race led by five wrestlers who earned top-four finishes in their respective weight classes.

That quartet was led by Robby Reed (125) and Alex Benedict (130), who each took third. Ethan Olson (112), Leo Daprile (135) and Mike Flanagan (189) all earned fourth-place EOWL honors.

Poland, who fielded a varsity wrestling team for the first time in school history, finished in a tie for 16th place. The Bulldogs scored six team points.

As part of the league tournament festivities, a new class was inducted into the EOWL Hall of Fame.

The group included Boardman’s Steve Vallos, state runner-up in 2002 and current Seattle Seahawks lineman; Canfield’s Nick Brenner, who was third at state in 2000; Bruce Rohrer, former West Branch coach; Howland’s Drew Sparks, a two-time state placer; Jackson-Milton’s Jon Gondol, a fourth-place finisher at state in 1998; Alliance’s Marcus Adelman, a two-time state placer; Warren Western Reserve’s Jack Raver, a two-time national qualifier at Ohio University, and Liberty’s Laszlo Szalay, a state runner-up in 1984.